As a direction converting device for the running car racer, there has already been known a device in which a steering plate mounted on front wheels is turned to the left or the right through a worm gear mechanism by reversible operation of a servo-motor for converting the direction of the front wheels to the straight, the right or the left.
In the conventional direction converting device, however, frequent changes in direction of the car racer may require the corresponding frequent reverting operations of the servo-motor, thereby generating sparks at various contacts forming an electrical system of the servo-motor. Such sparks in the servo-motor may cause damage of the electrical system of the servo-motor and erroneous operation of the wireless controller. In particular, the servo-motor is disadvantageous in high cost for its excellent control performance and in more increased cost for designing a control circuit to avoid the sparks.
In view of the foregoing, the applicant has already devised a direction-converting device which comprises an electromagnet energizable to a desired polarity each time and at least a pair of magnets symmetrically arranged on a car body and maintained at different polarities from each other, said eletromagnet or said pair of magnets being secured to one end of a controlling element arranged swingably in a horizontal plane, said controlling element being engaged with a steering plate connected to wheels, and filed therefor the U.S. patent application on Jan. 6, 1982, under U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 337,500 , which application issued to U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,566 on Sept. 18, 1984. Thus, either one of the magnets on the controlling element is attracted to the electromagnet for shifting the controlling element to the desired direction, depending on the energized state of the electromagnet.
The direction-converting device according to the U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 337,500 comprises combination of the electromagnet and the magnets, so that it may be simple in construction, very low in manufacturing cost, free of erroneous operation of the wireless controller, and steady and reliable in the direction control. In such direction-converting device, however, the wheels should be desirably maintained in the neutral position, namely in their straight-running position upon deenergizing the electromagnet. For this purpose, according to the device of the U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 337,500, a pair of supporting rods are arranged symmetrically to a shaft supporting the controlling element. The supporting rods at their ends are pivoted to the car base while at their middle parts are connected elastically with a spring, and their swingable ends are engaged with a stopper protruded from the controlling element for keeping the stopper at its predetermined neutral position. Thus, the construction of the controlling element is somewhat disadvantageously complicated.